Spatial Light Modulating (SLM) systems include Digital Light Processing™ (DLP™) systems. DMD and DLP™ are trademarks of Texas Instruments Corporation. Recent developments in SLM technology rely on SLM elements that provide diamond shaped pixels instead of square shaped pixels. Processing techniques for SLM systems include a so called “smooth pixel” processing technique. According to the smooth pixel technique, a displayed image is formed by combining a first set of pixels with a second set of pixels. The second set is displaced from the first set. The combined first and second pixel sets form a displayed image.
In one example SLM system, an SLM array comprising a number of SLM elements provides first and second pixel sets for each incoming picture, or frame, to be displayed. The combined pixels from the first and second pixel sets provide more displayed pixels than the number of SLM elements employed to provide the pixel sets.
However, a drawback is associated with this technique. Pixels of the first and second pixel sets overlap in the displayed image. At least some of the pixels from the first set effectively overlap at least some of the pixels from the second set. As a result, when the pixel sets are displayed together so as to form an image, light in the regions of overlapping pixels is a combination of light from each of the overlapping pixels. This sometimes results in brighter than intended, or less bright than intended image portions.
Thus, some loss of image quality is incurred with this technique as compared to other display techniques. Accordingly, image processing devices and methods are needed that account for distortion due to overlapping pixels in displayed pixel sets of SLM devices.